On The Beach

In 79AD, where I was standing was the beach at Herculaneum (or Ercolano as the locals call it) and what I’m looking into is one of the boat sheds that fronted on to the beach. Huddled into those boat sheds in 79AD were 300 odd citizens of the town who were trying to shelter from the after effects of Vesuvius erupting, and hoping that boats might be able to get close enough to shore so that they could escape. Sadly, the boats could not get in and the unfortunate citizens perished when the town was engulfed in boiling mud rolling down from Vesuvius, not to be found until many centuries later.
The archeological park at Ercolano is not as well known (or anywhere near as large) as its more famous neighbour, Pompeii, but I think I actually found it more interesting. The smaller site means it is possible to see it all in half a day and it was certainly far less crowded than Pompeii was last year. Takes longer to get to though, and now involves a change of train. Still, at only €13.60 return for the both of us, it’s got to be the bargain excursion of the holiday so far.
Another tiring day with over 11km walked. Thankfully it wasn’t as hot or as sunny as yesterday, and there were plenty of places where you could find shade as you went round the site. Nevertheless, we will be having an early night tonight as it’s the big one tomorrow - the ascent up Vesuvius. It will be interesting to stand on the volcano that brought so much death and destruction to the area all those years ago yet, at the same time, preserved it for us to discover centuries later and thus get a glimpse into everyday life in Roman times.